If you are a regular reader of my Watchdog column and blog, you should be familiar with Pennsylvania's Right-to-Know Law. If you're not, here's another example of the value of that law. It helped Dick Smith squeeze $500 out of Bethlehem City Hall.

The details are in today's Watchdog column. The short version of Smith's tale is that he damaged his car in Bethlehem when he drove over a manhole where the cover was ajar. He filed a damage claim with the city, and was denied twice. The city cited the "governmental immunity" law, which shields governments from damage claims unless the injured party can prove there was negligence involved.

Smith used the state Right-to-Know Law to ask for records about any work in the manhole he struck. If he could prove there was work just prior to his accident, maybe he could prove negligence.

After he filed his request, the city changed its tune and paid his claim, telling him in a letter the city "may have some responsibility" in connection with his accident. Smith wasn't told what that connection might be, and the city never provided him with any of the records he requested. But it paid his bill, which is all he cared about.

I asked the city for the same records Smith asked for, and what I got didn't shed any light on why the city reversed its denial in his case. Smith surmises the city feared he was preparing for a lawsuit by asking for records.

It's pretty clear Smith wouldn't have gotten paid if he hadn't filed that Right-to-Know request. That's why you should use it, too, if you ever have a beef with your government that you can't resolve.

The law has helped others, too. I've previously written about a South Whitehall Township family that had problems with sewer backups in their basement. They also filed a Right-to-Know request, seeking records about the government's maintenance of the sewer line in front of their home. That resulted in the sewer authority paying their damage claim, too, after the records showed their sewer line had been identified as a problem area and it hadn't been maintained.

Filing a request is easy. You can use this standard form, which is accepted statewide. Your government's website should list the Right-to-Know officer who would handle your case.